Nazi Concentration Camps: Capture and Arrival

Capture and Initial Treatment

• SS officers broke into homes and rounded up "undesirables"
• Those captured were arrested for opposing the Nazis, belonging to undesired groups (homeless, LGBTQ+, mentally ill, criminals), for religious beliefs, or for being of Jewish ethnicity
• The journey to the camp was dehumanizing, instilling fear and shame via abuse
• Jews of all ages were transported in overcrowded vehicles (trains/trucks) in terror
• Conditions were cramped, without food, water, or toilet facilities; buckets were used for waste
• Journeys could take days and were filled with starvation, dehydration, claustrophobia, and uncertainty
• Families were often separated, and their fates were unknown
• Prisoners were given no information about their destination, increasing fear

Arrival and Selection

• Upon arrival, prisoners were divided into groups (men and women with children)
• SS guards demanded age, occupation, and health condition in a macabre welcome
• Based on answers, prisoners were deemed fit for work (right) or for immediate execution (left)
• Those deemed "unfit for work" (sick, old, young) were sent to gas chambers

Dehumanization Process

• After selection, prisoners were stripped of their belongings
• Possessions were taken, never to be returned
• Prisoners were registered into the camp system; names were replaced with prison numbers
• Numbers were sometimes tattooed on arms (especially at Auschwitz)
• Heads were shaved regardless of gender
• Prisoners were forced to shower in groups while guards watched

Camp Hierarchy and Living Conditions

• Prisoners were constantly watched by German soldiers
• Camp structure mimicked Dachau: led by Lagerkommandant and junior officers
• Prisoners also had a hierarchy: Kapos (prisoner-supervisors)
• Prisoners were assigned colored triangle badges to identify reasons for imprisonment
• Barracks were overcrowded, designed for fewer people than were housed there
• Bunks were tiny, often tiered, and placed on muddy floors
• Limited space required multiple prisoners to share bunks (up to 6 per tier)
• A lack of bunks forced prisoners to sleep in tents or damp tunnels
• No bedding or blankets were provided, except for straw mattresses (rarely replaced)
• Poor sanitation led to lice, rats, and vermin, thus facilitating disease spread
• Diseases spread quickly due to unsanitary conditions

Sustenance and Labor

• Meager rations: watery soup, stale bread, an occasional small piece of sausage/cheese
• Constant hunger weakened bodies and left prisoners vulnerable
• Prisoners performed heavy labor (construction, quarrying, trench digging, factory work)
• Workdays were grueling (up to 14 hours), under constant guard surveillance
• Prisoners were beaten for moving too slowly or without permission
• Death resulted from overwork, beatings, execution, or medical experiments

Health and Hygiene

• The anti-Semitic regime denied basic medical attention
• Minor injuries festered, and grave illnesses became fatal sentences
• Common diseases included typhus, dysentery, and tuberculosis
• Mental toll: depression, hopelessness, and despair were common

Daily Routine: The Appel

• The daily routine began with The Appel (morning and evening lineup) in all weather
• Prisoners were awoken between 4 am and 4:30 am by loud gongs and Kapos yelling
• Bodies of those who died overnight were often ignored
• Prisoners might experience "bettenbau" (bed-making) under strict SS rules
• Failure resulted in beatings, sometimes to death
• Dirty water was used for cleaning without soap or toiletries
• Breakfast was an unappetizing meal of stale bread with watered-down tea or coffee
• Kapos might single out prisoners, throwing bread in the mud or spilling coffee
• Appel or Appellplatz: daily morning roll call
• Prisoners stood in rigid rows of ten, and were counted by Kapos under SS watch
• Any movement resulted in swift and brutal punishment
• The counting process was repeated, forcing prisoners to stand for hours
• Attempts to evade The Appel resulted in beatings, torture, or death
• After the roll call, prisoners were marched to work sites (a short walk to several miles)
• They were forced to sing degrading songs for the guards' amusement
• Falling behind meant severe punishment
• Afternoon roll call
• Lunch was either consumed or brought to work stations
• Labor ended, potentially throughout the entire night

End of Workday and Return to Camp

• Prisoners were marched back to camp for the final roll call after work
• Deceased prisoners were carried back by fellow inmates for the evening roll call to maintain accurate numbers
• Inaccurate prisoner counts could cause roll call to last for hours, sometimes intentionally as a form of punishment

Dinner and Free Time

• Prisoners who survived the day without collapsing or facing severe punishment received a meager dinner, often watery vegetable soup, served in mess tins
• In some camps, dinner was nonexistent, and prisoners went straight to the barracks after labor
• Free time in the barracks was used for bartering items among the prisoners
• Prisoners were expected to retire to their barracks after dinner, with lights out typically by 9 pm, but sometimes later
• Leaving the barracks at night was strictly prohibited, with Blockfuehrers and guards constantly patrolling

Blockfuehrers

• Blockfuehrers, also known as Death Heads, wore green triangles on their uniforms, signifying them as "real criminals" with the power to determine prisoners' fates
• Blockfuehrers decided who lived or died as punishment for prisoners caught outside during bedtime
• Retreating to the barracks meant surviving another day, but also facing the same ordeals again

Medical Facilities and Healthcare

• A lack of essential medical facilities meant falling sick often led to a grim fate
• Sick bays or infirmaries were often inadequate, lacking basic necessities
• Fellow inmates sometimes ran sick bays, but efforts proved largely futile due to rampant diseases, conditions, and shortages
• Infirmaries typically lacked water, plumbing, and electricity, with dirty cots and straw mattresses covered in pus and blood
• Each mattress often held at least two sick people, sometimes skeletal, and covered in scabies, boils, lice, or completely naked
• Disease outbreaks often led to more than two sick individuals sharing a mattress, shivering from the cold and suffering while waiting for help or death

Maintaining Hope and Humanity

• Prisoners held onto hope and tried to maintain cultural and religious activities
• Journals, diaries, artworks, and jewelry crafted from copper wire served as testimonials to life in the concentration camps
• These works acted as grim reminders of resilience and humanity amidst cruelty, retaining shreds of identity

Daily Life and Treatment

• Life in Nazi concentration camps was a routine nightmare, marked by relentless brutality, dehumanizing routines, and constant fear
• The daily struggle for survival was marked by the brutality of SS guards and the constant fear of punishment or death
• Despite attempts to extinguish their identities, prisoners displayed remarkable strength and humanity
• Their stories serve as reminders of the human spirit's ability to endure extreme circumstances, presenting hope in the bleakest times

Liberation and Aftermath

• Prisoners endured their nightmare until rescued by Allied forces, which marked the beginning of the end of their suffering
• Liberation couldn't erase the trauma from the minds of those affected and the world
• Survivors faced rebuilding their lives, grappling with trauma, and pursuing justice
• The Holocaust's legacy serves as a reminder of the consequences of unchecked hatred, urging future generations to remember the past and strive for a world free from such horrors

The capture and initial mistreatment of prisoners by SS officers. People were arrested for opposing the Nazis or belonging to undesired groups. Journeys to the camps were dehumanizing, and families were often separated with unknown fates.